The interrogative relative pronouns are "who" - څُوک , "what" - څٌه , and "which" - کُوم .
The pronoun "who" - څُوک refers to animate beings. In the indirect case, it takes the form "whom" - چا , which is used as a subject in ergative constructions. (See Ergative Constructions.) It is also used with prepositions and postpositions:
"Who comes?" - څُوک راڂى ؟
"Who saw you?" - چا تٌه وُلیدې ؟
"Whom are you talking to?" - تاسی دٌ چا سَرَه خَبٌری کَوۍ ؟
When this pronoun is combined with the demonstrative pronoun "that" - هَغَه and the conjunction "that" - چی , it can have a relative meaning:
هَغَه څُوک چِی ژٌبَه زْدَه کَوى گْرامَر تَه ﺋﻰ اِحْتیاج لَرى .
"Everybody who studies a language needs to know its grammar."
It can also mean "somebody" or "someone" when used independently or with the defining pronouns "other" - بٌل , "every" - هَر , and the numeral "one" - یو :
"someone else" - بٌل څُوک
"somebody" - یو څُوک
"everybody" - هَر څُوک .
The pronoun "what" - څه refers to inanimate objects. It is often used with nouns. For example, with the noun "thing" - شَی .
"What does he have?" - څه شی ورسره شته ؟
This pronoun in combination with the noun "type, form" - ډَول , means "how?" - څٌه ډَول ؟
Combined with the noun "kind" - رَنْگ , it forms څٌه رَنْگَه and means "what kind of ", "how?":
"What kind of man is he?" - دَی څٌه رَنْگَه سَړَی دۍ ؟
"How can I reach the city?" - څٌه رَنْگَه بٌه ښار تَه وُرَسېږٌم ؟
This pronoun with the preposition "in" - پٌه is translated as "why?":
"Why didn't you read a book?" - پٌه څٌه تا کِتاب وُنَه لْوَسْت ؟
When this pronoun is combined with the demonstrative pronoun "that" - هَغَه and the conjunctive "that" - چِی , it can have a relative meaning:
هَغَه څٌه چی تاسُو پٌه اَمْریکا کی زْدَه کٌړى ما تَه مَعلُوم دى .
"The fact that you studied in America is known to me."
The pronoun "what" - څٌه can be used with the pronouns "other" - بٌل , "others" -نُور , "every" - هَر , and the numeral "one" - یو :
"something else" - بٌل څٌه
"others" - نُور څٌه
"something" - یو څٌه
"everything" - هَر څٌه .
The pronoun "which" - کُوم is declined like a "weak" adjective:
|
Case |
Singular Number |
Plural Number |
||
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
Masculine |
Feminine |
|
|
Direct |
[kum] - کُوم |
[kúma] - کُومَه |
[kum] - کُوم |
[kúmi ] - کُومی |
|
Indirect |
[kum] - کُوم |
[kúmi] - کُومی |
[kúmo] - کُومُو |
|
It can have a relative function:
زما هَغَه شِعر خْوَښ دۍ کُوم چی رُباعى نُومېږى.
"I like the poem which is named 'Rubai'."
See Also: